The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-08-07
Alcohol From Two standpoints.

AlcoRol from TWO StandpolntS'
DR.. w. H. Searle has an article in the
current number of the North American Re
rietO which doubtless does not meet with
the approval of Prohibitionists. 1t is en-
titled ''Sedentary Men and Stimulants."
DIR. Searle says that the percentage of brain
workers who suffer from dyspepsia and bill
iousness is proportionally greater than that
of those who are engaged in manual labor.
In fact, these malatiies are distinctively
those of sedentary men. The reason, he
thinks, is this: More food is required to
repair the waste of the muscles, etc, than
of the brain. The brain-worker, however,
eats about as much as the man
who is engaged in hard physical
labor. He does not require all that he eats,
while the man who labors with his hands
does. The food of each contains about the
same constituents, and leach mouthfrl has
definite fixed proportion of elcments-so
much for the skin, so much for the muscles,
so much for the brain, ETC." If the food of
each, therefore, contains the same constitu-
ents, and each takes the same amount, it is
apparent that the brain-worker does not
eats more than no needs for his muscles,
skin, etc. The laboring man may eat a lit
tie more than he may need for his brain,
while supplying the demand of his muscles,
but the effect is comparatively harmless, be-
cause the excess Of material for SO small
portion of the body is easily gotten rid of.
With the brain worker, however, the effect
is different His excess of material is for
the greater portion of the body, and the
difficulty of getting rid of it shows itself in
the shape of dyspepsia and biliousness.
1t is about impossible to secure exactly
the kind of food which our systems need.
If it were possible to give each part of the
body the material that is needed for its re-
pair, and in the quantity that is required,
some of the most aggravating diseases could
perhaps be avoided, but as science has not
yet discovered the kinds of food that are
best adapted to the different parts of the
body, DIR. Searle believes that paratriptics,
which are prevepters of waste in the body,
can be resorted to by sedentary workers
with beneficial results. These paratriptics
are alcohol in its various forms, tea, coffee
and tobacco These are the ones in most
common use The South American coca
and the betel nut are used to some extent.
The most harmful OF all of these is, Of
course, alcohol, but each of them is capable
of doing harm, and does do harm when used
to excess.
The effect of paratriptics is to render the
appetite less keen The sedentary man who
uses alcohol, tobacco, coffee, tea, etc,
does not eat so heartily as the one who does
not use them. OF course the effect of tea
and coffee is much less noticeable than that
of alcoholic drinks or even of tobacco. Ac-
cording to DR.. Seorle's theory, therefore, the
use of paratriptics by a sedentary man
renders him less liable to dyspepsia and bill
iousness.
In this connection it may be interesting
TO call attention to an article by Capt. A.
Fl. Greedy, in the August Forum, in which
he aims TO show that the use of alcoholic
drinks in the Arctic region is not beneficial
He says that those who drink Intoxicating
liquors are much less able to stand severe
cold or to endure hard labor when the
thermometer is far below zorro than those
who drink only hot coffee and tea. So con-
tident did his men become of this on his last
expedition to the Arctic regions that nearly
all of them declined to touch alcohol in any
form. Those who did drink it exhibited
greater strength for a little while after
drinking, but there soon came a reaction,
and their strength then was much below the
average. If it were not for the fact that it
might be beneficial at times as a mental
stimulus Capt Greedy thinks that its use
might be advantageously dispensed with in
Arctic exploring expeditions altogether